Microsoft's Copilot: A Frustrating Flop in AI-Powered Productivity

Since the original post was made in August 2024—at a time when Microsoft 365 Copilot was still missing many features—I recommend trying the same functionality again now. Also, it’s important to ensure there’s a clear understanding of what the paid version of Microsoft 365 Copilot is currently capable of.

For example, I’ve seen several comments regarding PowerPoint. I completely understand the frustration when Copilot doesn’t create slides exactly as expected. However, Copilot is currently limited to generating text. Occasionally, if you prompt it to animate a slide, it may attempt to do so—but only in a very basic way.

It’s important to focus on what Copilot can do. Why is this the case? Because in order to respond to your requests, Microsoft had to implement what’s called an “app response” into the product. While the large language model (LLM) can understand your prompt, there also needs to be a corresponding app command implemented to carry out the action. And that’s the key point: not every prompt has a matching app command yet.

Microsoft is actively working on expanding these capabilities, but it will take time.

By the way, back in February 2024, Copilot in PowerPoint was able to change fonts, animations, and transitions. However, due to some issues, those features were temporarily removed.

That said, you're absolutely right—as of now, Copilot cannot create fully polished presentations in terms of design.

Still, I don’t believe it’s fair to say that Copilot “doesn’t work at all.” It’s evolving, and while it has limitations, it also offers real value when used within its current capabilities.